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TRAC: U.S. federal immigration prosecutions trending upward

After several months of moderation, U.S. federal immigration prosecutions have returned to the high levels of last summer, according to an analysis of data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). According to the most recent figures released by the Department of Justice, there were 8,287 immigration prosecutions in March 2010, up 30 percent from February, and more than in any month since July 2009.

Overall, a total of 15,830 prosecutions were reported, representing a jump of 37 percent from the previous month. Increases were seen not only for immigration matters, but also for other categories: drugs, white color crime, organized crime, weapons and terrorism cases.

TRAC is a data gathering, data research and data distribution organization at Syracuse University. The purpose of TRAC is to provide the American people—and institutions of oversight such as Congress, news organizations, public interest groups, businesses, scholars and lawyers—with comprehensive information about staffing, spending and enforcement activities of the federal government.

For the latest information on immigration prosecutions and convictions so far in FY 2010, visit: http://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/bulletins. In addition to reports by program category, TRAC offers free reports on the enforcement activities of selected government agencies such as the IRS, FBI, DHS and DEA.